Virtual Interaction Training in Emotional Self-Awareness for Working with Suicidal Patients $300,000
Grant Type: Linked Standard Research Grant
Research Area: T

Training involves more than just knowledge; it also involves increasing self-awareness and empathy. Improved and increased training is needed for mental health clinicians who work with individuals at risk for suicide. Creating and testing the feasibility of the first multimodal virtual human interaction training program for clinicians working with suicidal patients provides a highly efficient way of improving clinicians’ therapeutic skills, and potentially reducing patients’ overall risk of suicide.

MicroRNA Mediators of Early-Life Stress Vulnerability in Suicidal Behavior $125,000
Grant Type: Distinguished Investigator Grant
Research Area: G

Early life stress has been shown to contribute to suicide risk, but the mechanisms are unknown. Genetics play a role in brain function, and alterations in expression of specific microRNAs — the parts of genes that are responsive to environmental cues — may have an effect. Understanding the relationship between microRNAs, stress, and suicide has implications for developing novel treatments and suicide prevention strategies.

The Gut-Brain Axis and Suicide Attempts: New Markers for Assessment and Prevention $100,000
Grant Type: Standard Research Grant
Research Area: N

The gut and the brain are connected, and gastrointestinal inflammation has been found to be related to depression and risk for suicidal behavior. Contributors such as life stress, aggression, and impulsiveness also play a role in suicide risk. Comparing people hospitalized for a suicide attempt with those psychiatrically hospitalized for other reasons, and following them over time, will allow for the study of how these factors change and associate over time. The availability of dietary interventions offers the possibility of innovative and effective treatment.

Post-Hospital Suicide Prevention Intervention for Patients with Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorders $100,000
Grant Type: Standard Research Grant
Research Area: T

The risk for suicide and suicide attempts among people with schizophrenia is increased, especially during the transition from inpatient to outpatient treatment. The Coping Long-Term with Active Suicide Program (CLASP) is an intervention that has helped people with suicide risk and other mental health conditions with the transition. With adaptation, CLASP may be helpful to people with schizophrenia.

Validating the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Neurodevelopmental Disability $100,000
Grant Type: Standard Research Grant
Research Area: P

Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder or other Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ASD/NDD), including Intellectual Disability (ID) are at elevated risk for suicide. Currently, there are no suicide-risk screening instruments designed specifically for individuals with ASD/NDD. This study will investigate whether it is possible to use the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ), a validated suicide-risk screening tool originally designed for typically developing youth, for assessing suicide risk in youth with ASD/NDD.

Improving Prevention of Youth Suicide Clusters: A Systems Approach $99,368
Grant Type: Standard Research Grant
Research Area: P, C

Better understanding of youth suicide and its impact within the school community is needed. In-depth study of social and cultural environments of schools with and without a recent cluster of suicides may provide insights into how to best facilitate students’ well-being, develop suicide prevention strategies, and address loss if a suicide occurs.

Pilot Study to Identify Modifiable Transdiagnostic Suicide Attempt Risk Factors $100,000
Grant Type: Standard Research Grant
Research Area: N

Cognitive control, which enables people to flexibly switch between thought and action and to regulate perseverative thoughts, is related to suicide risk. It is important to test cognitive function over time among people who have made suicide attempts and those who have not, to learn more about thought processes that may be related to risk. It is possible to increase flexibility in thinking which could reduce risk for suicide.

Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Efficacy of a Novel Personalized Mobile Intervention for Suicide $97,684
Grant Type: Standard Research Grant
Research Area: T

Technology can be used to provide personalized suicide prevention interventions based on an individual’s reported thoughts and mood. Coping strategies and resources can be delivered in times of increased distress. If the Mobile Application to Prevent Suicide (MAPS) is found to be an effective tool, it is easy to distribute to young adults with recent suicidal ideation during care transitions and beyond.

Comparison of Brain and Blood Suicide Signatures: From Mechanisms to Biomarkers $100,000
Grant Type: Standard Research Grant
Research Area: N, G

We learn about the neurobiology and genetics of suicide by studying the brains of people who died by suicide. Gene expression and biomarkers in the brains of those with major depressive disorder (MDD) who died by suicide will be studied alongside biomarkers in blood samples of people with MDD who have engaged in suicidal behavior to identify suicide-specific biomarkers for assessing risk.

Pain-Based Catastrophic Thinking and Suicidality: A Cognitive-Interpersonal Examination $99,990
Grant Type: Standard Research Grant
Research Area: P, I

Chronic pain is one of many potential contributors to suicidal ideation and behavior. It is not clear if risk is related to the pain itself, how the pain is perceived, or factors such as lack of social support and feeling like a burden. Measuring how people feel, think, and experience their pain and their social support over time may provide information about the relationship between chronic pain and suicide.

GABA-related Mechanisms of Suicidality Reduction $100,000
Grant Type: Standard Research Grant
Research Area: N, I

When people are at risk for suicidal behavior, they often have difficulty thinking flexibly, and experience their options as limited. The neurotransmitter, or brain chemical, GABA, may play a role. This cognitive inflexibility can be modeled in animals, providing an opportunity to test various medication treatments. Learning about the impact of specific medications on cognitive inflexibility may reveal options for treating a person thinking of suicide.

Risk of Suicide Mortality among 1 Million Handgun Purchasers: A Cohort Study $100,000
Grant Type: Standard Research Grant
Research Area: C

The rate of suicides in households that have a firearm is higher than non-gun owning households. This is not a matter of differences in mental health or other known factors. To better understand this, comparing one million gun owners with nineteen million who do not own guns and analyses with linked data from voting and death records may shed some light. Lessons for community interventions and prevention strategies will be identified.

Suicidality in Depressed Adolescents: A Study of Neural Changes with a Mind-Body Intervention $100,000
Grant Type: Standard Research Grant
Research Area: N, T

Training for Awareness, Resilience, and Action (TARA) is an intervention for reducing depression using a combination of mindfulness, yoga, and psychotherapy. The question of whether TARA can reduce suicidal ideation and change brain connections may be examined through the use of brain imaging techniques at the beginning and end of treatment.

Medication Assisted Treatment for Opioid Dependence to Reduce the Risk of Death by Suicide $99,468
Grant Type: Standard Research Grant
Research Area: T

There is a 13 times higher rate of death by suicide in people with opioid use disorder (OUD) as compared to the general population. Medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid dependence is a standard part of treatment. By examining medical records and pharmacy data linked with death records of a large group of patients treated with MAT in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), this study will examine whether MAT is associated with reduced suicide deaths among opioid users.

Elucidating the Polygenic Architecture Underlying Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors $68,761
Grant Type: Young Investigator Grant
Research Area: G

Genes play a role in suicide, though it is not the whole story and there are many contributors. Understanding how genes combine to explain suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and death by suicide, especially in combination with genes related to depression, risk-taking, cognitive function, and individual and family alcohol use, will help deepen our understanding of the paths to suicidal behavior and possible interventions.

Evaluation of Suicide Risk, Opioid, and Pain Screening Protocols in West Virginia Primary Care $89,276
Grant Type: Young Investigator Grant
Research Area: P

Most people visit their primary care physician at least once a year. This provides an opportunity to screen for suicide risk. The first step is to determine the best screening tool for suicidal ideation and behavior. The next step is to determine the added value of assessing for pain, opioid misuse, and other factors. Identifying individuals at risk is a first step in preventing suicide.

Characterizing Suicides among Opioid-Related Deaths $90,000
Grant Type: Young Investigator Grant
Research Area: P

The rapidly increasing number of opioid-overdose deaths have largely been treated as accidents. However, a significant proportion of these deaths are likely suicides. By conducting psychological autopsies with family and friends of those who have died by suicide, it may be possible to measure the magnitude of misclassification and characterize factors associated with suicide and accidental deaths. This has important consequences for targeting prevention efforts.

Neural markers of NSSI and Suicide Risk: Acute Physical Pain Modulation of Neural Processing of Social Rejection $80,000
Grant Type: Young Investigator Grant
Research Area: N, P

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents often precedes a shift to suicidal ideation and suicide attempt. Understanding this process is critical for interfering with that transition. Theory suggests that NSSI and the transition to suicidal behavior is related to one’s experience of physical pain and social rejection. Brain imaging during tasks that evoke these experiences and follow-up assessments can reveal how brain function underlies NSSI and subsequent suicidal behavior.

Examining the Association between Social Cognitive Deficits and Suicidal Ideation in Eating Disorders $90,000
Grant Type: Young Investigator Grant
Research Area: P

Social cognition, the way people process social information, may underlie the risk for suicide among people with eating disorders. Assessing women with eating disorders in terms of how they process facial communication and attribute others’ intention, as well as other factors associated with suicide and measuring suicidal ideation and behavior over the next year, may improve our understanding and capacity to help prevent suicidal behavior in this group with increased risk.

Characterization of Rare Genetic Variants Involved in Risk of Death by Suicide $112,000
Grant Type: Postdoctoral Fellowship
Research Area: G

The Utah Suicide Research Study, with its more than 4,300 individuals who died by suicide and a matched comparison group, provides a unique opportunity to identify rare genes that contribute to suicide and may not be identified in smaller studies. Knowledge about the contribution of genes to suicide can inform the development of medications that may aid in suicide prevention.

Individual and Contextual Level Correlates of Suicide in Rural Areas of the United States $112,000
Grant Type: Postdoctoral Fellowship
Research Area: P

Potential risk factors for suicide among rural residents include social isolation and loneliness, access to lethal means, and lack of mental health care. Individual and community factors associated with suicide risk within rural areas can be identified by combining and analyzing large data sets, such as the American Community Survey, Area Health Resource File, Community Business Patterns, and mortality files. With the high rate of suicide in rural areas, we need more research.

Identifying Molecular, Cellular, and Synaptic Changes Associated with Suicide $30,000
Grant Type: Pilot Research Grant
Research Area: G

By studying the brains of people who died by suicide and comparing them with those who died from other causes, we can examine changes in genes and differences in the brain cells, called neurons, and the spaces between neurons, the synapses, where information is exchanged. Neurons can be generated from skin cells and compared to brain neurons. Learning about the difference between skin and brain neurons presents an opportunity for learning about the biology of suicide.

Using Genomic and Clinical Data to Distinguish Child Psychiatry Outpatients at High Risk for Suicide $29,989
Grant Type: Pilot Research Grant
Research Area: P, G

We need to learn more about youth suicide. Closely examining 1,400 youths receiving treatment at a psychiatric clinic with regard to diagnosis, depression, aggression, genetic samples, and other factors provides a unique opportunity. Given that youth with attention deficit disorder and major depression have higher rates of suicide, taking a multifactored approach will increase our capacity to develop targeted interventions to prevent this second leading cause of death in youth.